Oats as an ingredient in pig diets

Although oats have not typically been a major grain included in pig diets they can be used very efficiently in either raw or processed forms. Peadar Lawlor, Teagasc Pig Nutrition Researcher, tells us more.

The table shows a comparison of energy and nutrient values of oats (regular genotypes) and naked/dehulled oats with those of other commonly used cereals. Gross energy, protein content and lysine contents are higher in oats than in wheat, barley and maize, however, oats have a much higher fibre content. The high polysaccharide content in their fibre fraction increases viscosity of the gut content and reduces energy and nutrient digestibility. In growing pigs, energy digestibility is much lower in oats (64%) than for example maize (88%). Except for lysine, which is higher in oats, their digestible amino acid content is similar to that of maize and wheat. Processes such as dehulling reduce the dietary fibre content and greatly increases the digestible energy value of oats from ~11.0 to 13.4 MJ/kg DM. In addition, pelleting diets containing oats improves feed conversion efficiency to a greater degree than pelleting diets containing other cereals.

Maximum inclusion levels for growing and finishing pigs range from 20-40% regular oats and if dehulled instead of whole oats are fed this can increase to ~60%. Maximum inclusion levels for weaned pigs range from 5-10% and for lactating sows range from 15-20%. If dehulled it may be possible to feed up to 45% in weaner pig diets. On the other hand, the high fibre content in oats makes them particularly suited for feeding to dry sows, where limiting energy is desirable for health and welfare reasons. There are also cases where oats can be of benefit in pig diets for health reasons such as feeding ~10% in post-weaning diets to reduce diarrhoea in weaned pigs. Dietary inclusion of oats can also help protect against constipation in sows at farrowing as well as controlling ulcers in growing pigs.

Comparison of energy and nutrient values of oats and naked/dehulled oats with those of other cereals

(From: Sauvant et al, 2004)

Naked oats are a type of oat that naturally loses its tough outer husk during harvesting and threshing, leaving behind the naked kernel without the necessity for further processing to remove the hull. Naked oats have successfully been used to replace maize as the main energy source for lactating sows. In Moorepark, Brendan Lynch fed naked oats at up to 30% dietary inclusion and found that they could replace wheat in the diet of weaner pigs (~14-35Kg) without any effect on pig growth or feed efficiency.

Constraints to feeding oats

Oats are rich in ß-glucans, a polysaccharide that increases diet viscosity. This can cause digestive problems, in particular, sticky litter when fed to poultry. Dietary supplementation with ß-glucanase enzymes will help in reducing this issue in poultry and this may also merit consideration when feeding oats in diets for pigs. Although oats are considered less susceptible to fungal diseases than other cereal grains, mycotoxin contamination with T-2 and HT-2 trichothecenes and deoxynivalenol (DON) can be higher than in other cereals. Therefore, the presence and levels of mycotoxins should be monitored and the use of appropriate mycotoxin binders may be warranted in particular situations.